Beautiful Cursemark
by oakenshieldmaiden
Summary: If only Sasuke knew what he left behind. Eventual NejiSaku. If you do not like distressing flashbacks, jinchuurikicontaining Kages, psychotic Uchihas and one traumatized heroine, then this is not the fic for you. More in the Author's Notes.
1. A koshi sakura

**A/N:** This was a fun one to write, and the very idea of this story thrills me. I hope that it comes together, and that others enjoy it as much as I plan to. However, those who have read my stories in the past may note the 'T' rating—this is not in place because of profanity or anything suggestive. The rating is there because of disturbing scenes/flashbacks, possible character deaths and something else that I shouldn't really give away yet. But I promise that there is nothing explicit, and this should be as clean as my other fics, if more intense and/or dramatic.

The story is set several years in the future, and I have warped the storyline a good deal. Much of it will take place among the Hyuugas, a group which I love but know little about as a whole.

Fasten your seatbelts; this may be a bumpy ride. (I promise, I'm trying my hardest to ensure that that is the last cliché' in this entire yarn.)

_Hyuuga Hiashi-sama_

_Hyuuga Manor, 758 Hidden Valley Drive_

_Konohagakure, Land of Fire _

_7__th__ of June_

_RE: Cherry Tree Shipment_

_Hyuuga-sama—_

_It is with deep regret that I inform you all orders of cherry tree saplings have been placed on back order. We at the Hidden Leaf Nursery send our most sincere apologies, but our supplier writes that it has been a bad year for the sakura, and few of the young plants made it through the winter in their storehouses. Trees that were strong, healthy and beautiful simply withered and collapsed, despite 'all of the care they were given' (as we have no real understanding on treatment of plants by our supplier, I cannot say to what extent the attention reached). _

_The saplings that survived, small in number, I am sad to report, are all frail, needy plants that would require the highest maintenance and most particular care, rendering them utterly unmarketable, especially for venerable Hyuuga-sama. Once again, I personally make an apology for this gross neglect on our supplier's part, and assure you that the first suitable saplings we receive will be yours._

_Sincerely,_

_Yamanaka Ino_

_Hidden Leaf Nursery, 626 South-Central Konoha_

_Konohagakure, Land of Fire_

_18__th__ of June_

_Yamanaka-san--_

_In your last letter to my uncle, regarding the shipment of cherry trees he requested this past fall, you spent much of the note explaining why the unfavorable condition of the saplings was not your fault. This is irrelevant to Hiashi-sama, and he tells me to notify you that no additional order is to be made. The trees would arrive at a late and inconvenient time for planting, and he has little patience for inconvenience, as you well know from our last business transaction. He desires instead one of the original trees; as they were hardy enough to survive in the hands of your most incompetent supplier, they can certainly thrive under the care that our gardeners alone can provide._

_Send us a koshi sakura._

_Formally,_

_Hyuuga Neji_

_P.S. He also makes the suggestion that you stop making excuses and find a new source nursery—there are several established names that he could recommend._

The cherry trees, or _sakura_, of the Hyuuga clan are almost as legendary as their unique bloodline among the villagers of Konoha. Only the most talented and precise are allowed to become caretakers for their beloved trees, and rarely will an applicant for said position measure up to their impossibly high standards. As a result, the task often falls to those of Hyuuga itself, and so, on this crisp autumn morning, the clan leader's youngest daughter herself strolled through the empty grounds, carrying a large pair of pruning shears.

It was miserably early, and there was a brisk chill in the damp. Hanabi kicked at a small stone, dragging her feet along the path, hoping half-heartedly that she would wake the whole accursed brood of them up. She was a night owl, not an early bird, for the love of Sandaime, and she could not possibly imagine a more stupid, boring, worthless chore than tending to those dumb trees. It was the beginning of fall; they didn't need pruning, and as for her father's insistence of removing bird nests and worms, there were no birds or worms left in Konoha that were fool enough to mess with Hiashi's trees.

"Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, _dumb_," she growled at nobody in particular, having lived too sheltered a life to know any stronger insults for her irritatingly fastidious father.

She walked on, trying groggily to think of something really awful to say to him at breakfast. Not that she would have ever been able to, even if Hiashi hadn't ordered complete silence during meals. Nobody said anything bad about her father even behind his back. He gave off a haunting omniscience that, as the Rokudaime Hokage had once put it long ago, "scared the crap out of everybody." (He had stated this very quietly, of course, in a tone that was not like the boisterous blonde.)

Scattered leaves were already beginning to blanket the ground, in premature preparation for the cruel season they were to face. Although she would never admit it, not even to herself, Hanabi loved the peace of the early morning; the quiet that would only last until the rest of her enormous clan began waking up. From that time on, the entire manor would be alive with dozens and dozens of distant cousins performing various tasks, from training to toilet scrubbing, although only the disgraced were forced to do such revolting menial work.

Dozens and dozens of distant cousins, huh? Hanabi enjoyed the rhyme and rhythm of the phrase, and drummed it against one leg with her fingers. Do-zens and do-zens… and dozens. Sometimes, she wished that her crazy family was smaller, or at least scattered in separate homes throughout Konoha. It was troublesome having so many names and faces to keep up with all the time.

Tch. Troublesome indeed. She sounded like the lazy genius of the Nara family. But what did he really have to complain about? Sure, his mom was an overbearing, loud-mouthed, nagging, pain-in-the-butt, but at least he had just one: Hanabi could name several overbearing, loud-mouthed, nagging relations that could only be classified as 'pains-in-the-butt.'

A playful breeze stung at her nose, and she wished for a thicker robe. It wasn't that they didn't have enough money for warmer clothes—Lord knew Hyuuga had money practically dripping out their ears—but Tou-san had decided that as the life of the shinobi was full of discomfort, so the life of a Hyuuga clan member would be.

Thankfully, she was almost to the end of her route. "It's so stupid," she griped to a nearby sparrow, who stopped pecking at the cold ground long enough to stare at her. "I mean, these trees are hardly on our property anymore. This wall is the borderline between the town and the plantation. I swear, the man's got OCD!"

The sparrow decided to go back to pecking, and Hanabi turned her attention to the final stop before she could head back. The growling of her stomach was enough incentive for her to hurry.

"Well, whaddya know," she said, standing at the base of a large tree, staring up into the spreading branches that were still thick with blossoms. Her avian friend had made a small nest up there. She felt a little sorry for the diligent creature, and hoped that it wouldn't be so foolhardy again.

Dropping the shears, she clambered up the wall as best she could, knowing she would be as good as dead if caught climbing a sakura. "I'm taking your house down now," she called to the bird, who continued to ignore her. _Fine._ As she pivoted back to the nest, her sharp eyes caught a slight movement from somewhere over the wall.

Hanabi activated her already powerful Byakugan and scanned the area. On her side of the protected boundary, the only waking creatures were herself and the bird. But on the other side, on the street leading from Konoha—there it was again! She couldn't clearly discern who it was, but in the white outlines of her enhanced vision, she detected a stirring form on one of several benches lining the drive.

Without a second though, she slipped over the wall, forgetting caution in a burst of curiosity. As she came closer, she released Byakugan and studied the prostrate girl intensely. Something in her memory was triggered by the long strands of light pink hair that fell across her back. If only she could get a look at the face!

Hanabi put out a hand to turn her over, but as her small fingers brushed against a dark welt on the young woman's shoulder, a strangled cry stopped her in her place.

"Sasuke-kun!"


	2. Crushed

**A/N:** Sorry for how long this has took—I've been really busy, and all of my stories were on hiatus. It's a somewhat crappy chapter, but heck, exposition is necessary, and I did my best to make it interesting. Now that I'm back(ish), I think I need to make clear a major change I have made to the plotline of Naruto for the sake of this story:

Although it is set several years in the future, Sasuke did not leave for Orochimaru's place right after the Chuunin exams. He stuck around for a little bit longer, only to be plagued with intense jealousy at his friend's growing power. When Naruto stepped into the position of Hokage, fulfilling his lifelong dream, Sasuke recognized that his goal of killing his brother was going to remain unrealized unless he did something drastic about it.

Other things have been changed as well, but they will come up in the story.

Ja ne.

---

"Victim: Haruno Sakura. Aged 18, as of March 28. Resides alone in Apartment 312B, West-Central Konoha. Her only relatives are parents: Haruno Masaru, deceased, and Haruno Azami, aged 51. Found unconscious by Hyuuga Hanabi, age 13, on the morning of Friday, October 22. Victim received several blows to the head and neck from one Uchiha Sasuke, also age 18, resulting in intense bruising and possible internal bleeding. Victim also suffers psychological damage, such as lack of responsiveness, amnesia and a severe state of confusion. From a brief session of questioning, ANBU also believes that rape may have taken place-- "

"That's enough, thank you," Uzumaki Naruto broke in, almost choking on the command.

The ANBU agent nodded silently, the expressionless mask mocking the passionate emotions that raged through Naruto. Briefly, the Hokage wondered if ANBU ever got personally involved in the many cases they handled.

"Bring her in," he said, shoving the report aside, not wanting to believe it, not allowing the cruel words to sink in. This couldn't be real: Not Sakura-chan. Not _Sasuke_. Not the dearest people to him in the world.

For the first time, he understood Granny Tsunade's reluctance in becoming Hokage. In all his dreams of earning power and glory along with the role, he never figured on having to send out a team of elite shinobi after his best friend with intent to capture or kill, or interrogate the girl he had loved since childhood on whether said best friend had— No, he couldn't think it. He couldn't! It wasn't true, none of it was. In a moment, Sakura would stomp through the doors with her head held high, her green eyes flashing. She would come right up to his cluttered desk, grab him by the collar and then punch the snot out of him, screaming, "BAKA! Sasuke-kun would never, never…"

"Rokudaime-sama." The cold voice of the masked policeman broke the stillness. Somehow, he had reentered the office without making a sound, which was believable for an ANBU agent but not—

"Sakura-chan?" _Was that __his__ voice crackling like a thirteen year-old's?_ The girl that stood, head bowed and hands clasped limply in front, dejected, disheveled-- Sakura? She had shoulder-length cherry-colored hair, yes, but it was tangled and matted, in a state that Sakura would never allow with her prized tresses. The familiar creamy skin was blotted with dark contusions, the jade eyes lacked fire, lacked strength and intelligence; lacked _life_.

Naruto felt something cold rise in his throat. His Sakura, his precious blossom, had wilted.

And then, his eye caught a few words of the ANBU police report. No. She had not wilted.

She had been trampled upon. Crushed, broken, destroyed by the man he called 'brother.' All the childish rivalry and resentment he had ever held for Sasuke was nothing in comparison to what he felt stirring now.

The Hokage rose to his full height, now an impressive 6' 2", his entire body shaking with fury. He would spare no Jounin in Konoha in the formation of the squad, with orders to bring Sas…_him_ back alive and healthy—Naruto desperately wanted to do the dirty work himself.

But first, there was a more pressing matter to attend to.

"What was her mother's address again?"

---

"Haruno-san, please!"

"No! I refuse to spend the rest of my life playing nursemaid for a fool!" Azami's wrinkles settled into a look of indignation that Naruto knew well. Although, he thought with a wave of nostalgia, in his experience it had been worn by her daughter, who now stood silently behind him, unruffled by the older woman's outburst.

In fact, the 'fool' in question had been deathly quiet since the moment she had entered the Hokage's office earlier that morning—no, not deathly! He quickly changed the adjective to peaceful, for Sakura had seemed very tranquil in comparison to her volatile former self. But he'd give _anything_ to be insulted again, or slugged, or belittled, only if Sakura would be Sakura just once more.

Azami began sliding her front door closed, but Naruto caught it and tried pushing it in the opposite direction. _If begging doesn't work, pull out the trump card._ "As your Hokage, I order you…"

"Oh, Hokage nothing!" she snapped, applying her considerable weight to the task. "I won't take orders from brats like you, you son of a--" Her sentence was cut off as the door suddenly gave and slammed shut noisily on her fingers.

"Haruno-senpai!" Naruto shouted over the tumult of swearing that filtered through the barrier, wondering if he should cover Sakura's ears. _She's probably used to it. _"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," he said, trying to decide on the best explanation of her mother's cold dismissal.

"So-rry?" Her question was slow, halting, and she was concentrating hard on forming each syllable.

His chest and throat simultaneously twisted up into a huge, throbbing knot at the vacant, remote expression in her eyes.

"Never mind."

---

"This, then, is the situation." Somehow, the story seemed less valid after explaining it to others. He felt utterly detached from reality, devoid of all feeling. Empty.

The large office, full of familiar and unknown faces, seemed foreign to Naruto, as if in a dream. He swiveled slowly, looking from person to person, trying to read their expressions. Something he had never been very good at, a fact that was accentuated by the impassive features habitual of the Hyuuga clan. A few seemed confused and frightened—Hinata and her younger sister, (Hana--oh, what was her name again?), shared the same appearance of horror and misery. Several of the older countenances seemed weary or uninterested, wondering what they had to do with all this rigmarole. And finally, there were the stoic faces of the Hyuuga elders and, worst of all, Neji, who seemed as even-keel as if they were merely discussing the latest in Turkish bathrobes.

_Did he not care at all? _The taciturn Hiashi and the older Hyuugas, Naruto could understand, but Neji, who had fought beside Sakura, who had known her all these years, didn't even feel remorseful? The two had never been close—distant acquaintances at the best, but she was a Konoha kunoichi, and his duty was to protect, wasn't it?

Naruto could not take the stillness another second—it was unbearable looking into the dead, expressionless eyes of his former opponent. _Had he not changed at all since the Chuunins so many years ago?_

"Well? Say something for Kyuubi's sake!"

"H-how could anyone--" Hinata broke off, pale features contorting at the thought of such cruelty.

"I say we give that cow pie the whipping he deserves!" This outburst merited Hanabi a swat on the hand from an aged crone to her right. They exchanged scowls until Hanabi broke the gaze and faded into the back of the office, sulking.

"With all respects, Rokudaime-san, you have spent much of our time explaining a state of affairs many of us were already aware of, and none at all ramifying what Hyuuga has to do with any of it."

The Hokage had to blink several times before he was halfway sure what the senior clan member was saying.

Mercifully, Hiashi slipped into command. "Uzumaki-san asked Hyuuga's attendance because of the connection we have with the incident. The victim was discovered on the borders of our property, and it is Hyuuga's duty to guard Konohagakure from attackers that might enter through the Western gate, as well as any that might attempt leaving through it. In fact, there have been questions posed concerning the efficiency of the night watch."

Neji stiffened, his jaw line tightening, cold orbs hardening.

"Also, the offender in question is a member of the Uchiha family, possibly the last, and a distant relation to Hyuuga itself." He frowned slightly, as if reviled by his statement. _A __very__ distant relation._

Naruto had partially collected his spinning wits, and was grudgingly indebted to the austere clan leader for the use of his authority. "So, this brings us to the point."

He cleared his throat, knowing he was about to enter difficult territory. "Due to the trauma of her experience, Sakura-san is no longer able to care for herself. She needs a warden who can look after her until she fully regains her faculties. I have spoken with her mother, but Haruno-san is… less than enthusiastic, and claims to be incapable at providing the correct amount of attention. With your connection to the incident, I was wondering--"

"As always, Konoha wants Hyuuga to clean up its messes." Hiashi's stony features gave the Hokage all the answer he needed.

"Tou-san!" Hinata gaped, distressed by his apathy. "W-What?"

"Hinata." His command was not barked, but her father didn't even have to raise his voice to receive utter compliance. Hinata's head bowed and she came to Hiashi's side in submissive silence. "I am afraid that Hyuuga cannot be of assistance to you in this. We are not a clan of guardians, but of warriors. We have no room for the weak." He turned to his family, signaling that they were finished here.

"That is untrue, Hiashi-sama!"

Hiashi wheeled, a look of icy wrath spread across his proud brow, but his nephew did not back down. "Dono, you are wrong."

"You are out of place, Neji-kohai!"

"Dono-senpai, you are wrong," he repeated, shaking his head emphatically. "Hyuuga is a clan of guardians, as much as we are warriors. It is the branch family's duty to protect the head, just as the head watches over the branch."

"Silence!"

"This woman has been victimized by one of our kinsmen-- does dono-senpai refuse to do anything to repair the damage?"

"That is enough!" Faster than eyes could see, the Clan Leader's hands flew in the formation of a seal, and with a gruesome, throttled cry Neji fell to his knees, fingers clasping at his pulsing temples. "It is time you learn your place." The hardness in his features remained, but Hiashi had seamlessly regained his composure.

Naruto watched in revulsion as the prodigy of Hyuuga foamed in wordless agony, writhing, gasping under the grip of the curse seal.

_A caged bird indeed._

---

The stone faces of the past Hokages fell into shadow as the glowing sun disappeared behind their mountain. The Sixth watched the light slip away for yet another night, and found himself gazing up at his idols, searching their silent images for guidance, as he had often done.

_Sarutobi, what would you do for Sakura? What can __I__ do for her? Baa-chan, she was your beloved apprentice, your greatest student. Can't you give me a hint?_

But Tsunade said nothing, mocking him across the years with a smile that was as bittersweet as her memory. Then-- _You figure it out, stupid._

_I've tried! I have, really!_ Despair settled in his chest, weighing down on him harder than any burden he had ever borne. _I tried._

"Rokudaime-san."

He whirled at the address, jolted out of the stillness of his reverie. "Hiashi!"

A perfectly tapered eyebrow raised, threatening a frown, and Naruto amended quickly. "Hiashi-sama. What are you…"

"After reconsidering your proposal, Hyuuga has elected that one of our branch family members will be Haruno-san's caretaker, at least until she 'fully regains her faculties,' as I believe you put it. At that time period, Hyuuga will no longer claim responsibility for her. I will need you to authorize these papers, saying that you willingly entrust her to us."

All of a sudden, the length and many shocks of the day became too much. Naruto collapsed into his seat, flabbergasted as the Leader strode noiselessly to his desk, sliding a file across it expectantly. "Wait, Sama! Who am I entrusting Sakura to?"

"Don't worry, he is a responsible, if headstrong shinobi, and your teammate will be safe under his protective eye." The Hokage could have sworn he detected a smirk underneath the serene exterior. "After all, my nephew has demonstrated his personal interest in her welfare. Stamp here--" indicating the document, which read in some impressive jargon that Hyuuga Neji was to be Haruno Sakura's official legal guardian, until Hokage-sama himself annulled the papers.

In a daze, Naruto slammed his seal down on the dotted line.

"Arigato, Rokudaime-san." He turned, and without another word, made his way to the door.


	3. Kidnapper?

**A/N:** Those of you who have read some of GaaHina: Beauty and The Beast might recognize the writing style I've used in the very beginning of the chapter. It's probably my favorite, but gets very confusing after a while, so I transition out of it fairly quickly.

---

_She sits silently on the cold metal bench, studying the threadbare bottle-green carpet. Her legs swing back and forth slowly, and her hands are tightly clasped, thin fingers still clutching the faded carpet bag on her lap. Absentmindedly she pulls at the worn fringe, trying to divert her thoughts from the turmoil of ideas inside. But she can't. No matter what she tries, she can think of nothing else; nothing can distract her. _

_Her matted, tangled hair hangs limply in front of her gaunt, pallid face, masking her cloudy green eyes. Someone has attempted to tie it back with a fraying silver ribbon. They haven't succeeded._

_The welts and scratches that cover her thin back and shoulders beneath the starched lilac kimono have only begun healing, although it has been a week already; her cheekbones are bruised, an eye blacked, and an ugly cut runs through her cracked lower lip._

_Today is my wedding day._ A girlish giggle burst from her suddenly; somehow, the thought struck her as comical. A child like herself—_married_? Why, Kaa-san had been much older when she had become engaged to Tou-san, with his big belly, so full of laughter and dumplings. And her twelfth birthday only a few months ago! Ino had come—Kaa-san insisted that she be invited-- and given her a lovely comb set, as well as some monaka smeared across her face.

Cha! She certainly wouldn't ask Ino to the wedding. The pig would be too jealous to come, anyway—hadn't they always been rivals for Sasuke? Why should Sakura offer an invitation to her defeated opponent?

But no, it wasn't Sasuke she was marrying, as difficult as that was to grasp. The tall, whiskered blonde man had said so. He was nice-- gorgeous smile and friendly cerulean eyes; but there was a strange sadness hidden in the exaggerated smile, something bittersweet in the way he looked at her.

Although he could be lying to her. After all, the man had claimed to be Naruto, and how could anyone so strong and handsome and gentle be that noisy, irritating moron? That was it; he was lying! After all, who in the world would she accept other than her beloved Sasuke-kun?

_Sasuke-kun._

She clutched the bag to her chest, as if pressing it close would smother the tight, twisting feeling beneath it. Her mother would be there soon, to put ribbons in her hair and tell her what a lovely bride she made. Yes, and Tou-san would… would…

Something warm and salty and wet dropped onto the bag, and a quiet voice in her head whispered, _Tou-san is dead. _

"I know," she whispered back.

---

It was a strange wedding; hushed and solemn, funereal in all its aspects. The few who attended the brief ceremony wore dreary colors and drearier countenances. There were no vows of undying love and devotion; merely a senior clan member who chanted something no one could really catch about Hyuuga traditions, and a notary with papers for Sakura and her new husband to sign. This proved a difficulty, as the bride was unable to grasp either the fact that her name was no longer Haruno but Hyuuga, or the pen the notary provided.

Though he ensured that none of it rose to the surface, exasperation surged inside Neji at his "wife's" measured, awkward speech; at the way she fidgeted with her ill-fitting clothes, and the absentminded twisting of her snarled hair between her bony fingers. _How Hiashi must be enjoying this._ His uncle had undoubtedly chosen the most potent retribution for his outburst.

He bitterly rued the rashness of his tongue as his charge dropped the writing implement for the third time consecutively.

"Oh!" She flushed, embarrassed at her clumsiness. _Why wouldn't her fingers do what she asked them?_ "Pick it up," she instructed her hand—_silly, disobedient hand!_

The notary exhaled heavily. _What a way to start off a Tuesday morning._ He checked his watch as she chased the pen across the floor for several moments before retrieving it with a shy smile.

"Sorry," she laughed bashfully, turning her concentration back to the document.

Neji fought the urge to wrench it from her hands, and instead took a deep breath, his fist clenching with irritation. "Sakura-san," he said through gritted teeth, the first time he had addressed her directly.

"Hai?" She wasn't paying attention, totally engrossed in her task.

"Would Ofukuro-sama let Neji-san help sign?" It seemed almost perverse using the spousal title in reference to the childish young woman who had problems writing her own name. He put a hand out trying to guide her scrawl, but she huddled protectively over the page.

"I can do it," she insisted, and as he made a second attempt to take control, her face lifted and imploring green eyes held his gaze. "Please."

There was a brightness, an intelligence buried somewhere in that stare, an intellect Neji had never suspected from the "half-wit" all of Konoha had been buzzing about for the past few days. Much to the notary's chagrin, he withdrew, curbing what frustration remained, and allowed her to finish tracing the characters of her new name.

"There." She beamed with satisfaction as the Hokage's legal representative snatched the papers away, with a pointed look at his wristwatch.

"Rokudaime-sama has already authorized these, and with both of your signatures, the marriage is now legally binding." Along his beeline out the door, Neji's sharp ears caught him murmur, _"Good luck."_

_Thanks a lot, buddy._

Sakura appeared confused as to what happened next. _Okaa-san never really said much about what took place __**after**__ the wedding._

"Come, Sakura-sama." Her valise in hand, the man she was to call husband gestured toward the door impatiently.

"Where?" she asked, falling into hesitant step behind him. No one had mentioned going someplace with the quiet, severe stranger who signed the marriage license as "Hyuuga Neji." _Maybe he was kidnapping her!_

This notion was very exciting, and Sakura walked a little faster, envisioning a nefarious plot revolving around her, mastered by a brilliant, brooding, sensitive invalid who had become so tortured by his longing for her that he sent one of his goons to bring her to his mansion, concealed deep in a forbidding forest infested with wolves. He would be distant at first, wresting with his affections for a little while, but eventually he would crack under the strain and confess his love. Of course, she would graciously accept him, having come to love him as well over the time they had spent together. Her goodness would change him into the brave, strong, noble-hearted Adonis he was meant to be, and…

Utterly swept up in fantasies of romance and fairy-tale endings, she practically floated along after Neji in rapturous silence. The hush was ideal in his mind; talkative women were irritating, and as long as she stayed quiet, the situation might not be so horrific after all.

The near weightlessness of her case spurred his thoughts to speculation of what she could have packed. Surely the necessities—he had no intention of taking her shopping for toothbrushes and underwear.

The resulting mental picture at the allusion to underwear made his head spin, and he made a conscious effort in restraining from gouging out his eyeballs. Females had no idea just how unfortunate members of the opposite sex were. Without a doubt, the downsides to having both an 'x' and 'y' chromosome were many, but the images that entered the mind's eye at the slightest suggestion tortured him the most. Although none of the other men in Konoha believed his protests, there were definite cons that came with x-ray vision.

Blissfully unaware of his torment, Sakura had been pulled from her daydreams by a gust of wind, toying with a few loose strands of her consort's sleek dark hair. They shimmered temptingly, floating in the autumn breeze, and her hand went out, catching one glossy lock between her fingers. Fine and smooth, almost like silk threads; so pleasant to the touch! She yearned to bury her face in it, run her hands through—

Neji jerked away from her exploring grasp fiercely, feeling violated. _No one_ played with his hair; it simply wasn't done. He rubbed the tender spot the hairs had caused when yanked from his head with his free hand, before whirling on her, seething.

"Hear me, Sakura-_sama_," he spat, with more venom lacing the title than respect. "Hiashi-dono may have forced us into this arrangement, but you must get this through that broad cranium of yours: we are not actually 'married,' and I am not your husband. I am your guardian, and as a guardian alone will I act. Expect no tenderness or simpering affection from me; I am unused to receiving, and equally unused to displaying them. It was an untoward turn of fate that Hiashi-dono decreed our marriage as a necessary legality, which is _all_ that that ceremony was. We will dwell under the same roof, but as ward and warden only." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked away down the street.

She blinked, utterly flabbergasted at the response one simple touch had elicited. This Hyuuga Neji was frightening, both in his icy indifference and volcanic bursts of temper.

_Maybe he was a kidnapper after all._

**A/N:** This chapter was fun to write, especially the present-tense section at the beginning. I wanted to make it clear that Sakura is not 'retarded;' she is in an extreme state of shock, as ANBU told Naruto. She is living half in the present, and half in a warped, delusional version of the past. Her reactions and movements have been slowed, and her awareness of her surroundings is severely reduced, but her mind is still sharp, if far from reality part of the time.


End file.
